(+)-Pleuromutilin (1) is a diterpene natural product first isolated from the fungus Clitopilus passeckerianus in 1951. (+)-Pleuromutilin binds to the peptidyl transferase center of bacterial ribosomes, preventing protein synthesis, and thus is active against many clinical isolates such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Mycoplasma hominis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Streptopcoccus pyogenes. Semi-synthetic derivatives of pleuromutilin in which the C14 ester is modified have been identified as potent antibiotics.

Given its promising antibacterial properties, four total syntheses of (+)-pleuromutilin have been reported, to date.
However, pleuromutilin's complex molecule structure presents challenges to its chemical synthesis. New synthetic routes to pleuromutilin are needed.